Their soon-to-be-landlord, The Irvine Company, had this description for their future tenant:

The Waffle Affair is a unique restaurant featuring waffles made to order. The menu includes the popular fried chicken and waffle combination in addition to other gourmet ingredients.

So naturally, I assumed that it was to be another Bruxie-like waffle sandwich shop when I wrote:

Chances are good that they'll likely serve waffles as the bun for burgers and fried chicken--and they'll have fried chicken, because if I know anything about these waffle sandwich shops, they always have fried chicken.

Well, apparently, my assumption was incorrect, and I'm quite happy that it is.

Upcoming Events

The Waffle Affair's PR folks sent me a nice e-mail saying "waffle sandwiches aren't even on the menu, they offer modern variations on authentic Liége, and all ingredients are incorporated into the batter."

Here's more of what they sent me:

The Waffle Affair's unique distinction is in the batter; all wholesome ingredients are incorporated into the mix, maximizing flavor within the waffle itself--- no toppings required. [It] will offer over 21 types of sweet and savory waffles including traditional waffles and daily specialty waffles such as Liége, Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Decadence. In addition to the offerings available daily, a menu of rotating specialty waffles such as Lemon Burst and Toasted Coconut will also be available as well as seasonal waffles such as Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread. The menu will also showcase bite-size waffles and a selection of entrée size savory waffles with top-notch ingredients mixed into the batter.

When it opens in late November, The Waffle Affair will be at Newport Beach's Bayside Center, located adjacent to Balboa Island at this address: 1064 Bayside Drive.

Edwin Goei was born on the island of Java, grew up in La Habra, studied in Irvine, and eats everywhere. Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, he went by the alias "elmomonster" on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.